Independence Day: Resurgence will have a comic book prequel

Nearly 20 years will separate the original Independence Day from its upcoming sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence, but an upcoming comic book intends to bridge the gap between the two films before audiences head to the theater.

Titan Comics announced this week that it will publish an official prequel comic to Independence Day: Resurgence that will cover the 20-year period between humanity’s initial victory over the aliens in the 1996 film and the events that kick off Resurgence.

While the final title, creative team, and release date for the book hasn’t been announced yet, Titan Comics confirmed plans for the prequel comic with The Hollywood Reporter, and editor Steve White offered some vague hints about the tone and direction of the prequel story.

Calling it a “rich psychological prison drama,” White said the prequel comic will be “a golden opportunity to segue nicely into next year’s blockbuster sequel by taking the mythos of the original and maybe adding a little darkness to it.”

Along with director Roland Emmerich reprising his role behind the camera for Resurgence, the film will feature returning cast members Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, Vivica A. Fox, and Brent Spiner, as well as newcomers Liam Hemsworth, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jessie Usher, Maika Monroe, and Sela Ward.

The official synopsis for the film reads as follows:

We always knew they were coming back. After Independence Day redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter delivers global spectacle on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.